Episode 24. Look-alike
"We weren't like that from the beginning, the Princess."
Furthermore, even the thoughts he'd been having just moments ago were instantly forgotten.
This, too, was probably due to spending too much time alone.
Bercheria would continue to face these situations.
Each time, she couldn't panic or avoid them.
"Listen carefully. I'm not the type to let things just flow. If I had someone I was going to marry, I would have told you in advance. So, let's stop worrying and just focus on bringing our separated beings together."
"Believe that?"
Lacrahan had a remarkable ability to read people's minds, but Bercheria always felt out of touch. It was difficult to know exactly what he was thinking right now.
Having spent her entire life locked in a tower, she likely had a different way of thinking than most people, and her current actions were likely a result of someone telling her the wrong thing and suddenly feeling a sense of crisis.
So, in a situation like this, he decided it would be best to tell the most certain thing anyone could understand.
“Marriage and all. It’s all the Emperor’s scheme. To keep me in check more easily.”
“Sister! Do you know? The Princess has loved His Highness the Grand Duke for over ten years! Aren’t she and the Northern Grand Duke a truly perfect pair?”
“I would hate for someone else to come between you two! That’s not a beautiful love story.”
After hearing Tatiana’s words, she felt she had committed a terrible sin.
“You don’t love the Princess?”
“Are you going to make me repeat the same thing over and over again until it’s too painful to bear?”
Bercheria exhaled deeply and fixed her gaze on Lacrahan’s arm, which was leaning against the chair.
The pattern was exactly the same, as if copied from her own.
“To overcome his sense of inferiority, he constantly tries to prove himself. By killing, trampling, and destroying others.”
Lacrahan fixed his gaze on her and rolled up his sleeves.
“That’s where he fills his lack of self-esteem.”
Bercheria didn’t move even as he placed her foot next to his rolled-up hand. It was both absurd and amusing how she had turned her back like an iron wall just moments before, but now she was willingly offering her foot.
“So we must regain our power before our identity is discovered. After all, no human can defeat a fully formed god.”
Right next to Bercheria, the hidden muscles beneath his robust forearms twitched, and the sacred ink engraved there pulsated like a living creature.
Lacrahan, having parted ways with Bercheria, walked alone along the outskirts of the castle, trying to clear his head.
Even setting aside the fact that he'd lived alone his entire life, people find it difficult to let go of their true nature.
A selfish person remains selfish to the end, and a person who knows how to care for others never makes decisions solely for themselves.
People still believe Bercheria was a selfish god who arbitrarily abandoned humanity. They say all the misfortune began because she abandoned her duty to protect this land.
Bercheria had entered the burning warehouse to save the children and jumped into the water to save Mrs. Morgan.
And now, for fear of harming Lacrahan, she was refusing to even consider matters that could affect her own life.
Lacrahan recalled a conversation he had once had with Jeffrey.
"What I'm saying is that the woman and the Grand Duke are the same."
"Someone who steps forward to save those who no one else will. That's the Grand Duke and that woman. To me, you look alike."
Perhaps Jeffrey was right.
Bercheria and he were alike.
Perhaps it was because they had suffered similar pain, or perhaps they shared a common innate temperament.
Whatever the case, the truth was that, just as he understood Bercheria now, she, too, would understand him when the time came for her to make a choice.
Even if he was concerned about Kelita now, Bercheria would ultimately decide to reclaim her power for the sake of her people.
Until then, Lacrahan simply had to prepare things that would be helpful to Bercheria.
“I guess that’s why.”
After thinking about it, Lacrahan realized why, unlike other women whom he grew tired of being around, he didn’t feel bored with Bercheria.
“We do think alike, after all.”
It was the first time he felt comfortable with someone other than his family.
He felt a strange tickle in the hand that had been holding Bercheria’s ankle, so he put it in his pocket and retraced his steps.
“Princess!”
Kelita, anxiously pacing the darkened garden, spotted Rosie calling her from afar and immediately approached her.
“What’s going on?”
Rosie gasped and swallowed.
“They say she’s with His Highness the Grand Duke in the library right now.”
“Together?”
“Yes.”
“At this hour?”
“Yes.”
In Kelita's hand, clenched into a fist, a small glass bottle, the size of a fingernail, sparkled and reflected light.
"Rosie."
"Yes, Princess."
"Would you mind setting up tea time with that lady tomorrow morning?"
"Yes, I will go and deliver the arrangement."
As Rosie was about to leave, Kelita called out to her as if remembering something after the fact.
"If you're going to do it, how about some fragrant tea? I've been liking strong-smelling tea lately."
Kelita smiled, hiding her hands under her armpits as her fingertips grew cold as she tried to say something she never usually said.
Rosie hurried over, checked the blanket on the bed to see if it was thick, and replied forcefully.
"Don't worry, Princess."
"Your Majesty."
Gerard stared at the entrance to the throne room with a cold expression.
He hated today, which came once a week, the most.
He couldn't understand why the Emperor had to listen to the stories of insignificant commoners when he had nothing better to do.
"Uh, tell him to come in next time."
Moreover, on a day like today, sitting with the real Empress, not Leone, made it even more tedious.
“Your Majesty, aren’t you tired?”
The elegant Empress tried to wipe Gerard’s sweat with her handkerchief, but he coldly slapped her hand away.
“It’s okay.”
The Empress took her hand back, embarrassed.
“Next is Brausa Panance from Irene.”
Gerard rested his chin on his hand and trembled as he heard the name of a citizen he wasn’t particularly curious about.
The door opened, and a hunched old man walked in.
He was carrying a bundle that looked heavy and burdensome to anyone. Seeing this, Gerard whispered to the knight standing behind him,
“Did you check what was in there? Are you sure it’s all right?”
The knight bowed and answered Gerard,
“It was all useless.”
He could have come in after collecting all the luggage, but he was so old that he was left to do as he pleased.
Originally, standing before the Emperor required eliminating even a single threat, but these days, principles and discipline weren't so important to Periat.
Gerard, in particular, tended to focus solely on his own interests, and he didn't care whether someone wielded a sword or a hammer unless they were magicians.
He was convinced he couldn't be touched anyway.
An Emperor greater than a god, Gerard called himself that.
Furthermore, the old woman approaching him had the appearance of someone who could barely hold a spoon, so he was confident there was nothing to worry about.
"Hmm."
The old woman beamed with delight upon seeing Gerard.
Gerard nodded vaguely, his head in agreement, at the sight of her sparsely grown teeth.
"Your Majesty. I have come all this way because I wish to see you, Your Majesty, in person before I die."
"Well, how do you see me this way?"
"We weren't like that from the beginning, the Princess."
Furthermore, even the thoughts he'd been having just moments ago were instantly forgotten.
This, too, was probably due to spending too much time alone.
Bercheria would continue to face these situations.
Each time, she couldn't panic or avoid them.
"Listen carefully. I'm not the type to let things just flow. If I had someone I was going to marry, I would have told you in advance. So, let's stop worrying and just focus on bringing our separated beings together."
"Believe that?"
Lacrahan had a remarkable ability to read people's minds, but Bercheria always felt out of touch. It was difficult to know exactly what he was thinking right now.
Having spent her entire life locked in a tower, she likely had a different way of thinking than most people, and her current actions were likely a result of someone telling her the wrong thing and suddenly feeling a sense of crisis.
So, in a situation like this, he decided it would be best to tell the most certain thing anyone could understand.
“Marriage and all. It’s all the Emperor’s scheme. To keep me in check more easily.”
“Sister! Do you know? The Princess has loved His Highness the Grand Duke for over ten years! Aren’t she and the Northern Grand Duke a truly perfect pair?”
“I would hate for someone else to come between you two! That’s not a beautiful love story.”
After hearing Tatiana’s words, she felt she had committed a terrible sin.
“You don’t love the Princess?”
“Are you going to make me repeat the same thing over and over again until it’s too painful to bear?”
Bercheria exhaled deeply and fixed her gaze on Lacrahan’s arm, which was leaning against the chair.
The pattern was exactly the same, as if copied from her own.
“Let’s not overthink it and just do what’s necessary. First, we need to regain our strength until our identity is revealed.”
Lacrahan sat down in front of her, one knee on the floor.
“The parallel butterfly is a problem, and the Emperor of this land doesn’t like you either. He’s someone who wants to be more powerful as a human than as a god.”
Lacrahan carefully grabbed Bercheria’s ankle and lifted her up.
“I’m just checking, so bear with me for a moment.”
“Is the Emperor dangerous?”
He raised his eyes coldly to her.
“Do you know what happens when an unqualified person rises to the top of power?”
“...What happens?”
Lacrahan sat down in front of her, one knee on the floor.
“The parallel butterfly is a problem, and the Emperor of this land doesn’t like you either. He’s someone who wants to be more powerful as a human than as a god.”
Lacrahan carefully grabbed Bercheria’s ankle and lifted her up.
“I’m just checking, so bear with me for a moment.”
“Is the Emperor dangerous?”
He raised his eyes coldly to her.
“Do you know what happens when an unqualified person rises to the top of power?”
“...What happens?”
“To overcome his sense of inferiority, he constantly tries to prove himself. By killing, trampling, and destroying others.”
Lacrahan fixed his gaze on her and rolled up his sleeves.
“That’s where he fills his lack of self-esteem.”
Bercheria didn’t move even as he placed her foot next to his rolled-up hand. It was both absurd and amusing how she had turned her back like an iron wall just moments before, but now she was willingly offering her foot.
“So we must regain our power before our identity is discovered. After all, no human can defeat a fully formed god.”
Right next to Bercheria, the hidden muscles beneath his robust forearms twitched, and the sacred ink engraved there pulsated like a living creature.
***
Lacrahan, having parted ways with Bercheria, walked alone along the outskirts of the castle, trying to clear his head.
Even setting aside the fact that he'd lived alone his entire life, people find it difficult to let go of their true nature.
A selfish person remains selfish to the end, and a person who knows how to care for others never makes decisions solely for themselves.
People still believe Bercheria was a selfish god who arbitrarily abandoned humanity. They say all the misfortune began because she abandoned her duty to protect this land.
Bercheria had entered the burning warehouse to save the children and jumped into the water to save Mrs. Morgan.
And now, for fear of harming Lacrahan, she was refusing to even consider matters that could affect her own life.
Lacrahan recalled a conversation he had once had with Jeffrey.
"What I'm saying is that the woman and the Grand Duke are the same."
"Someone who steps forward to save those who no one else will. That's the Grand Duke and that woman. To me, you look alike."
Perhaps Jeffrey was right.
Bercheria and he were alike.
Perhaps it was because they had suffered similar pain, or perhaps they shared a common innate temperament.
Whatever the case, the truth was that, just as he understood Bercheria now, she, too, would understand him when the time came for her to make a choice.
Even if he was concerned about Kelita now, Bercheria would ultimately decide to reclaim her power for the sake of her people.
Until then, Lacrahan simply had to prepare things that would be helpful to Bercheria.
“I guess that’s why.”
After thinking about it, Lacrahan realized why, unlike other women whom he grew tired of being around, he didn’t feel bored with Bercheria.
“We do think alike, after all.”
It was the first time he felt comfortable with someone other than his family.
He felt a strange tickle in the hand that had been holding Bercheria’s ankle, so he put it in his pocket and retraced his steps.
***
“Princess!”
Kelita, anxiously pacing the darkened garden, spotted Rosie calling her from afar and immediately approached her.
“What’s going on?”
Rosie gasped and swallowed.
“They say she’s with His Highness the Grand Duke in the library right now.”
“Together?”
“Yes.”
“At this hour?”
“Yes.”
In Kelita's hand, clenched into a fist, a small glass bottle, the size of a fingernail, sparkled and reflected light.
"Rosie."
"Yes, Princess."
"Would you mind setting up tea time with that lady tomorrow morning?"
"Yes, I will go and deliver the arrangement."
As Rosie was about to leave, Kelita called out to her as if remembering something after the fact.
"If you're going to do it, how about some fragrant tea? I've been liking strong-smelling tea lately."
Kelita smiled, hiding her hands under her armpits as her fingertips grew cold as she tried to say something she never usually said.
Rosie hurried over, checked the blanket on the bed to see if it was thick, and replied forcefully.
"Don't worry, Princess."
***
"Your Majesty."
Gerard stared at the entrance to the throne room with a cold expression.
He hated today, which came once a week, the most.
He couldn't understand why the Emperor had to listen to the stories of insignificant commoners when he had nothing better to do.
"Uh, tell him to come in next time."
Moreover, on a day like today, sitting with the real Empress, not Leone, made it even more tedious.
“Your Majesty, aren’t you tired?”
The elegant Empress tried to wipe Gerard’s sweat with her handkerchief, but he coldly slapped her hand away.
“It’s okay.”
The Empress took her hand back, embarrassed.
“Next is Brausa Panance from Irene.”
Gerard rested his chin on his hand and trembled as he heard the name of a citizen he wasn’t particularly curious about.
The door opened, and a hunched old man walked in.
He was carrying a bundle that looked heavy and burdensome to anyone. Seeing this, Gerard whispered to the knight standing behind him,
“Did you check what was in there? Are you sure it’s all right?”
The knight bowed and answered Gerard,
“It was all useless.”
He could have come in after collecting all the luggage, but he was so old that he was left to do as he pleased.
Originally, standing before the Emperor required eliminating even a single threat, but these days, principles and discipline weren't so important to Periat.
Gerard, in particular, tended to focus solely on his own interests, and he didn't care whether someone wielded a sword or a hammer unless they were magicians.
He was convinced he couldn't be touched anyway.
An Emperor greater than a god, Gerard called himself that.
Furthermore, the old woman approaching him had the appearance of someone who could barely hold a spoon, so he was confident there was nothing to worry about.
"Hmm."
The old woman beamed with delight upon seeing Gerard.
Gerard nodded vaguely, his head in agreement, at the sight of her sparsely grown teeth.
"Your Majesty. I have come all this way because I wish to see you, Your Majesty, in person before I die."
"Well, how do you see me this way?"
"You are as magnificent as I imagined, and you look flawless, Your Majesty."
Gerard chuckled.
He never tires of hearing her praise.
"Yes, I am."
He looked at the old woman with a rather pleasant expression.
"If you're done talking, you may leave."
"Yes."
The old woman strained her already hunched back and then raised her head.
Then, tilting her wrinkled face, she asked,
“By the way, Your Majesty, is it true that Bercheria has returned?”
Gerard’s expression instantly hardened.
“What did you just say?”
“Oh, no. I made a slip of the tongue.”
Gerard abruptly stood up and shouted.
“Can’t you speak clearly right now?”
The old woman blinked and slowly walked towards Gerard.
Then, as if revealing a great secret, she put her hand to her mouth and whispered.
“Actually, I’m coming from just north. I make a living by selling things here and there in Periat.”
“But.”
“By the way, I heard a woman with blonde hair and golden eyes appeared in the north?”
Gerard chuckled, his face flushed with surprise.
“What are you saying? People like that happen once in a while. Not all blondes and golden eyes are goddesses.”
Ashen skin, or skin with a bad complexion.
Gerard thought of all the useless women who had passed through his treasure trove, then erased them.
The old woman spoke to Gerard, who had crossed her legs and sat crookedly back down.
“Even though it rained?”
“What?”
Gerard’s back straightened.
“Tell me more.”
“Uh, that.”
The old woman, looking around at the people around her, placed a hand on her mouth and moved closer as if to whisper, but the knight beside her touched the handle of his sword and moved his body.
Gerard, as if he was okay, stopped him and stuck his head out to the old woman.
A moment later, the audience was over, and Gerard was left alone with the knight.
“I don’t feel right.”
Gerard’s legs trembled.
He even chewed his fingernails, crackling them.
He looked as if he had lost all the dignity that the Emperor of a vast empire should have maintained.
“Where on earth did Leone go at a time like this!”
The servants standing nearby cringed at the sound of Gerard’s voice shouting for the government to come find him.
“Leone, come find her! What are you all doing!”
Gerard chuckled.
He never tires of hearing her praise.
"Yes, I am."
He looked at the old woman with a rather pleasant expression.
"If you're done talking, you may leave."
"Yes."
The old woman strained her already hunched back and then raised her head.
Then, tilting her wrinkled face, she asked,
“By the way, Your Majesty, is it true that Bercheria has returned?”
Gerard’s expression instantly hardened.
“What did you just say?”
“Oh, no. I made a slip of the tongue.”
Gerard abruptly stood up and shouted.
“Can’t you speak clearly right now?”
The old woman blinked and slowly walked towards Gerard.
Then, as if revealing a great secret, she put her hand to her mouth and whispered.
“Actually, I’m coming from just north. I make a living by selling things here and there in Periat.”
“But.”
“By the way, I heard a woman with blonde hair and golden eyes appeared in the north?”
Gerard chuckled, his face flushed with surprise.
“What are you saying? People like that happen once in a while. Not all blondes and golden eyes are goddesses.”
Ashen skin, or skin with a bad complexion.
Gerard thought of all the useless women who had passed through his treasure trove, then erased them.
The old woman spoke to Gerard, who had crossed her legs and sat crookedly back down.
“Even though it rained?”
“What?”
Gerard’s back straightened.
“Tell me more.”
“Uh, that.”
The old woman, looking around at the people around her, placed a hand on her mouth and moved closer as if to whisper, but the knight beside her touched the handle of his sword and moved his body.
Gerard, as if he was okay, stopped him and stuck his head out to the old woman.
A moment later, the audience was over, and Gerard was left alone with the knight.
“I don’t feel right.”
Gerard’s legs trembled.
He even chewed his fingernails, crackling them.
He looked as if he had lost all the dignity that the Emperor of a vast empire should have maintained.
“Where on earth did Leone go at a time like this!”
The servants standing nearby cringed at the sound of Gerard’s voice shouting for the government to come find him.
“Leone, come find her! What are you all doing!”
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